The World War II 100

by Howard J. Langer, New Page Books, Franklin Lakes, NJ, 2002, 335 pp., $27.99 (hardcover).

Often in reference works, there is no writing style, which can make a book boring, but this was not the case for me with The World War II 100. The more I read, the more I wanted to read.

What made it readable was the author's approach in rating the persons he has chosen as the top 100, and cross-refarencing them throughout the book. I started reading at random, picking out names from the table of contents, just to get a sense of what was inside. Then as I began reading the book, I concentrated on the European theater of operations listings first, and then went onto the Pacific.

In the Preface, the author identifies the eight major powers of the time: The United States, Nazi Germany, Soviet Union, United Kingdom, Italy, France, China, and Japan, and he has chosen the 100 most influential persons of WWII, mainly from these countries, although other countries are represented.

He includes not only political and military leaders, but diplomats, scientists, intelligence people, and as he notes, "warriors and victims." Within this group, he selects those who had great influence and chose to use it, or in some cases, those who had great influence and chose not to use it. Some are well known, while others are not.

Each entry starts with an analysis of what the author feels the person's main WWII influence was (or could have been), followed by a brief biographical background, and then a description of what the outcome of that person's influence was, and what happened to the individual.

The author has maintained discipline in devoting two to three pages to each person or subject. It is a good formula, because you know what to expect. It's not easy to summarize an individual's salient accomplishments in such a limited space, especially when one considers that most of these people had very full lives, but Langer has done a good job.

The author agrees that his selection of the 100 is subjective, and he can accept a reader's arguments that someone should be listed higher or lower, but he does so with the exclusion of the first eight, which he believes are entirely correct, as he has ranked them. These are Hitler, Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin, Marshall, Yamamoto, Eisenhower, and MacArthur.

I honestly did not pay much attention to the number rankings, but I did take exception to the author's stated rationale for his write up on George S. Patton, whom he ranks number 11: "Patton is included here for one major achievement: the containment of German forces, coupled with the relief of Bastogne, during the Battle of the Bulge." While the importance of this action cannot be overstated, the author's comment ignores the earlier magnificent achievement of Patton and his 3rd Army when he drove the enemy across France, with speed and aggressiveness, in just a matter of weeks, from July to early September, to within 63 miles of Germany. Had fuel and other resources not been diverted for Market Garden, the conclusion of WWII in Europe would surely have been earlier.

I found somewhat disturbing a comment made by the author on page 10 of the Preface: "Sometimes I have described an event based on speculation ..." Does this mean guesswork? If that is the case, it is unfortunate, because this can cast doubt on credibility.

A minus goes to one element of production. While the book is hardcover, easy to handle, and the type style legible, there is a screened background of a map on the first page of each sketch--the map is either of the ETO or the Pacific, depending on the person who is being written up--a clever idea that did not work out, because the screened background (at least in my copy) is very dark, and that makes the first page of each sketch difficult to read.

Probably every reader will have a nomination of someone who should be included in the top 100 and who does not appear in this book. Mine is Field Marshall Sir John Dill, head of the British Joint Staff Mission in the United States. He had been Chief of the Imperial General Staff at the time of Dunkirk, and in his position with the United States, he often acted as a conduit between Roosevelt and Churchill, accomplishing much to enhance cooperation between the Allies. He worked closely with General Marshall, who held him in high praise. He served both countries exceedingly well, and a joint resolution of Congress recognized his contributions. He died of illness in late 1944 and is buried at Arlington Cemetery. I believe him to be the only non-U.S. citizen to be so honored.

There are photos at the start of each sketch and most of these are very good. There is an appendix with a listing of "Also-Rans" not included in the 100, an appendix with the chronology of WWII, an appendix with the nationalities of the 100, an index of names, an index of subjects, and a bibliography. There is also a brief history of World War II before the individual sketches.

I enjoyed reading this book, learned some things I didn't know, and am glad to have it in my library.

PAUL S. MEYER

Former USAARMS Information Officer

and Armor School Historian

Cincinnati, OH

COPYRIGHT 2003 U.S. Army Armor Center
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group